ACLU Santa Cruz Chapter Annual Meeting

PRESS RELEASE FOR 2012 ACLU SANTA CRUZ CHAPTER ANNUAL MEETING

The Santa Cruz Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California is holding its 2012 Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 20, from 1-4 p.m. at the Louden Nelson Center, 301 Center Street, Santa Cruz. The Annual Meeting celebrates civil liberties and local civil libertarians and seeks to engage the broader community in current civil liberties issues.

The meeting is open to the public – everyone interested in the work of the ACLU and in civil liberties is warmly invited. The Chapter will be presenting awards to three local organizations that have made us proud this year:

The Hammer of Justice Award will be presented to the Santa Cruz County Community Corrections Partnership (CCP), which has been responding to the state prison realignment legislation by working to develop alternative to incarceration in Santa Cruz County.

The Bell of Freedom Award will be presented to Planned Parenthood for their ongoing and resolute commitment to women’s reproductive health in the face of persistent attacks.

The True Patriot Award goes to the Day Worker Center of Santa Cruz County (Centro Jornalero en el Condado de Santa Cruz), which worked long and hard to create a safe, centralized location for day workers and refused to give up despite numerous challenges and delays.

The keynote speaker will be Professor Ellen Kreitzberg from Santa Clara University School of Law. Professor Kreitzberg will be speaking and answering questions about California SAFE (Savings Accountability and Full Enforcement) – Proposition 34 on the November General Election ballot, which proposes to replace the death penalty in California with life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Proposition 34 is supported by a hugely diverse group, including the former Warden of San Quentin (who presided over four executions), the author of the initiative that restored the death penalty in California, families of murder victims, and law enforcement. The initiative is widely believe to provide an historic opportunity for death penalty opponents.

Light but ample refreshments will be provided, there will be live music, and, best of all, there will be plenty of time to chat and exchange ideas with others in the community who are interested in civil liberties. This is a fundraiser, and we are asking for admission on a sliding scale of $25-75, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Also, if you are not a member of the ACLU, you can use your admission amount towards membership dues. Membership dues are also on a sliding scale, starting at $20, with a special student and low-income rate of just $5.